Read Online Daughter of Fire and Ice by Marie-Louise Jensen - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Marie-Louise Jensen
Ads: Link
beside me. ‘And this cloak is big enough to cover both of us.’
I caught my breath. Was he suggesting we lie down together? When we had had slaves in my father’s house, the girls had slept apart from the men. It was done like that in all decent households. Moreover, I was freeborn and a healer. However respectfully and equally we treated our slaves, we didn’t cuddle up to them.
Bjorn seemed to have no sense of this. Perhaps he had already put aside all thoughts of being a slave. He’d taken his freedom, and had shouldered the role of being our leader. He noticed me hesitating and smiled. ‘Don’t you trust me?’ he asked. ‘I only want to keep you warm.’
When he put it like that, I realized I did trust him. I’d put myself entirely in his power and he had done the same with me. He was my friend and my ally, and I was grateful he was here. I could feel tears stinging my sore eyes and I blinked hard to keep them back. Don’t reveal your emotions , Sigrun had always said. I thought I had learned her lessons better than this. But then I’d never been torn away from my home before, unsure if my family were dead or alive.
I lay down on the soft, thick sheepskin, and allowed Bjorn to put his arm around me and draw me close. A few tears leaked from my eyes. My body shook with a suppressed sob. Bjorn didn’t comment on it, but he drew me closer and began to stroke my arm, and then my hair. As my tears continued to flow, he turned me to face him, wrapping his arms tight around me and laying his rough, unshaven cheek against mine.
I felt breathless with my tears and the unexpected closeness. His embrace could have felt frightening, inappropriate, but instead it felt reassuring. Like me, he had just lost his family. Like me, he needed someone to care for him.
‘Do you regret this?’ he asked softly in my ear. ‘Do you wish you hadn’t come?’
I didn’t answer straight away. I fought my tears and tried to think whether I regretted it. A few moments ago, I had done. But now I felt comforted.
‘I miss my parents,’ I admitted. ‘And my brother. I wish I knew that they were safe.’
‘I miss my sister, too,’ Bjorn said. ‘It’s like a pain in my chest that won’t go away. I keep seeing her, dying. I could do nothing. Nothing at all. When I think of that, I don’t feel sorry I’ve killed a man and stolen his goods. I’m glad I’m here, and not fleeing alone and on foot somewhere.’ He shuddered at the memory. ‘As long as I haven’t made you unhappy,’ he added.
‘I regret nothing,’ I told him. ‘It’s my destiny, and you are part of that. I’ve seen it.’
Bjorn drew back a little and laid his head on his arm close beside me, looking at me. The light was dim, and his face was in shadow, but I could see his eyes gleam. Around his head and shoulders, the beautiful blue colour that was his essence glowed peacefully.
‘You’re just a little frightening, you know,’ he said. But he softened his words by rubbing his thumb gently along my cheekbone. I could feel Bjorn’s warmth begin to steal into me, making my eyelids heavy. Sleep was coming and I couldn’t fight it.
‘Are you warmer now?’ Bjorn asked. His voice sounded as though it was coming from a long way away.
‘Yes,’ I assured him drowsily. It was a huge effort to speak. I felt my limbs turn heavy as rocks and my eyes slowly close, as sleep took me.
I woke up with the sun shining in my face. I was cold again. I knew at once that Bjorn had gone. I sat up and could see him standing nearby at the prow keeping look out, clad in his tunic and leggings. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and saw I was still covered in his cloak.
I struggled to my feet, stretching my stiff, painful limbs. The cuts and bruises from our forced march behind Svanson’s horse were very sore.
‘Thora, you’re awake,’ said Bjorn. As he turned and saw me, his blue aura was suffused with pink. It was the colour I saw around my parents when they told
I caught my breath. Was he suggesting we lie down together? When we had had slaves in my father’s house, the girls had slept apart from the men. It was done like that in all decent households. Moreover, I was freeborn and a healer. However respectfully and equally we treated our slaves, we didn’t cuddle up to them.
Bjorn seemed to have no sense of this. Perhaps he had already put aside all thoughts of being a slave. He’d taken his freedom, and had shouldered the role of being our leader. He noticed me hesitating and smiled. ‘Don’t you trust me?’ he asked. ‘I only want to keep you warm.’
When he put it like that, I realized I did trust him. I’d put myself entirely in his power and he had done the same with me. He was my friend and my ally, and I was grateful he was here. I could feel tears stinging my sore eyes and I blinked hard to keep them back. Don’t reveal your emotions , Sigrun had always said. I thought I had learned her lessons better than this. But then I’d never been torn away from my home before, unsure if my family were dead or alive.
I lay down on the soft, thick sheepskin, and allowed Bjorn to put his arm around me and draw me close. A few tears leaked from my eyes. My body shook with a suppressed sob. Bjorn didn’t comment on it, but he drew me closer and began to stroke my arm, and then my hair. As my tears continued to flow, he turned me to face him, wrapping his arms tight around me and laying his rough, unshaven cheek against mine.
I felt breathless with my tears and the unexpected closeness. His embrace could have felt frightening, inappropriate, but instead it felt reassuring. Like me, he had just lost his family. Like me, he needed someone to care for him.
‘Do you regret this?’ he asked softly in my ear. ‘Do you wish you hadn’t come?’
I didn’t answer straight away. I fought my tears and tried to think whether I regretted it. A few moments ago, I had done. But now I felt comforted.
‘I miss my parents,’ I admitted. ‘And my brother. I wish I knew that they were safe.’
‘I miss my sister, too,’ Bjorn said. ‘It’s like a pain in my chest that won’t go away. I keep seeing her, dying. I could do nothing. Nothing at all. When I think of that, I don’t feel sorry I’ve killed a man and stolen his goods. I’m glad I’m here, and not fleeing alone and on foot somewhere.’ He shuddered at the memory. ‘As long as I haven’t made you unhappy,’ he added.
‘I regret nothing,’ I told him. ‘It’s my destiny, and you are part of that. I’ve seen it.’
Bjorn drew back a little and laid his head on his arm close beside me, looking at me. The light was dim, and his face was in shadow, but I could see his eyes gleam. Around his head and shoulders, the beautiful blue colour that was his essence glowed peacefully.
‘You’re just a little frightening, you know,’ he said. But he softened his words by rubbing his thumb gently along my cheekbone. I could feel Bjorn’s warmth begin to steal into me, making my eyelids heavy. Sleep was coming and I couldn’t fight it.
‘Are you warmer now?’ Bjorn asked. His voice sounded as though it was coming from a long way away.
‘Yes,’ I assured him drowsily. It was a huge effort to speak. I felt my limbs turn heavy as rocks and my eyes slowly close, as sleep took me.
I woke up with the sun shining in my face. I was cold again. I knew at once that Bjorn had gone. I sat up and could see him standing nearby at the prow keeping look out, clad in his tunic and leggings. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and saw I was still covered in his cloak.
I struggled to my feet, stretching my stiff, painful limbs. The cuts and bruises from our forced march behind Svanson’s horse were very sore.
‘Thora, you’re awake,’ said Bjorn. As he turned and saw me, his blue aura was suffused with pink. It was the colour I saw around my parents when they told
Similar Books
